TheDailyBeast: Worst Celebrity Drivers

LeAnn Rimes

LeAnn Rimes car insurance premiums took a beating in 2009 after she was involved in a pair of fender benders. In August, the country music singer got into an accident with another car that the police called a “very minor scrape between two vehicles.” But less than a month later, Rimes had another accident. The paparazzi were on hand to document that one because, the singer claimed, it was their fault to begin with. She was leaving a store in Santa Monica when more than 20 photographers descended on her. She scrambled into the car and soon rear-ended another driver. "She was scared by all the paparazzi following her and did not look up for a second because she was looking out the side of her window, and she did tap into the back of the other car," a source close to her told People Magazine at the time. Perhaps she shouldn’t have had that notorious affair with co-star Eddie Cibrian that put her back in the spotlight earlier that summer then.

Many times, celebrities who find themselves in car accidents were trying to get away from paparazzi and their cameras. But George Michael went right into them Tuesday when he crashed his Range Rover into the front of a photo store called Snappy Snaps in the posh Hampstead neighborhood of London. The former Wham! frontman was arrested at the scene after taking drug and alcohol tests, but was later released on bail. Michael, who has a history of driving under the influence, was just back on the road after his two-year driving ban recently ended. The singer admitted to driving while high in 2007, which caused him to lose his license. For his latest accident, which reportedly occurred on his way back from a Gay Pride parade in London, Michael will be tried next month. At least he got one last party in.

The exact details of Tiger Woods’s car accident in November 2009 are still murky, even if its consequences aren’t. In the short term, it caused him some injuries to the face—which may or may not have been amplified by his then wife taking a nine-iron to it, as the rumors go. In the slightly longer term, it blew the cover off his collection of extra-marital affairs. And now, it will reportedly cost him $100 million in a divorce settlement. What happened is that Woods allegedly hurriedly backed out of his driveway in Florida in his Cadillac Escalade, hit a tree and then smacked into a fire hydrant, doing about $8,000 worth of damage to the SUV. His now ex-wife Elin Nordegren reportedly scrambled out—it was past 2 a.m. at this point—and tried to free him from the car by smashing the rear window with one of his clubs. At least, that’s the story they’ve stuck to. Some reports suggest she was chasing him out of the car, and others even claim he was high on Ambien at the time. Nevertheless, Woods may be good with a driver, but not so much as one.

After a walk of shame photo frenzy put January Jones on many a celebrity blog in June, the paparazzi were hungry for more incriminating shots. The "Mad Men" star was heading home after an evening at The London West Hollywood Hotel later that week when some photogs caught her scent. Trying to get away, the Emmy nominee lost control of her car and slammed it into three other vehicles, which were all parked at the time. Then, she called 911 and celebrity chef Bobby Flay, as one does. "I can’t deal with all this commotion," she reportedly said at the scene. Flay allegedly showed up and urged her to leave the scene. Jones was not arrested, but her car was impounded by police, who told TMZ that she later returned to the scene and explained that she fled due to the paparazzi following her. Jones claimed to have left her license with a witness and walked home, where she called 911. Though Flay told TMZ that Jones had had a drink with him at the hotel that night, police reportedly did not administer a sobriety test since there was no way to prove she hadn’t consumed alcohol when she arrived home. If only Lindsay Lohan were so lucky.

"Indiana Jones" star Harrison Ford is known for the scar on his chin, but the iconic mark that has given him a rugged image comes from an accident that occurred before he was famous. Ford crashed his Volvo into a telephone pole as a 20-year-old and though he has the wound to prove it, the accident is hardly the most serious accident he has ever been in. Eleven years ago, while Ford was training as a pilot, he was practicing a point of technique with his instructor in a helicopter near Santa Clarita, California when a mistake brought the chopper down for a hard landing. The helicopter crashed onto a dry riverbed, slid forward in the sand, and rolled over onto its side. Neither he, nor his instructor, was injured. "Air Force One" should probably not be trusted in his hands.

LeAnn Rimes car insurance premiums took a beating in 2009 after she was involved in a pair of fender benders. In August, the country music singer got into an accident with another car that the police called a “very minor scrape between two vehicles.” But less than a month later, Rimes had another accident. The paparazzi were on hand to document that one because, the singer claimed, it was their fault to begin with. She was leaving a store in Santa Monica when more than 20 photographers descended on her. She scrambled into the car and soon rear-ended another driver. "She was scared by all the paparazzi following her and did not look up for a second because she was looking out the side of her window, and she did tap into the back of the other car," a source close to her told People Magazine at the time. Perhaps she shouldn’t have had that notorious affair with co-star Eddie Cibrian that put her back in the spotlight earlier that summer then.

Amid accusations that she is no model mother, Britney Spears had her own set of driving issue as well. The "Toxic" singer was seemingly leaving her kids (and undergarments) at home, while she was busy roaming around Hollywood and causing choas. In one instance in early 2008, Spears allegedly left her white Mercedes in the middle of the road when she got a flat tire. "It was blocking the roadway," one officer from the Los Angeles Police Department told People. A few months later, Spears was accused of causing a three-car pile-up on the Ventura Freeway in Los Angeles when she rear-ended a vehicle, which in turn, hit the car in front of it. "Britney just appeared to lose concentration," a bystander reportedly told Contact Music. Spears also has been charged with a hit and run, driving without a valid license, and was under fire as well for running over a paparazzo’s foot, driving with her baby on her lap, and later, wrongly installing a car seat. She was eventually banned from driving with her sons in the car, The Daily Mail reported. Spears’ driving debacles gave new meaning to her debut track, "(Hit Me) Baby One More Time."

Enrique Iglesias left a radio performance in 2007 as fans frantically swarmed his car. The result: he ran over an 11-year-old girl’s foot. The young (presumably former) fan’s mom filed legal papers over the accident, but Iglesias claims it was the mother’s fault for "not adequately supervising her and protecting her from harm." The incident served as a warning to those who want to "Bailamos" with Iglesias: beware his blind spot.